Traffic on Top of Round Top

The view from the top of Round Top Drive/Tantalus is definitely one worth seeing while in Hawaii. Below, Honolulu city lights twinkle to the rhythm of a cool, Hawaiian night — illuminating the dark skies above. All is quiet from up there.

As of late, however, the lookout has transformed from a peaceful vista to an overcrowded traffic nightmare! It seems like more and more tour buses have been making the lookout a stop on their agenda, which is totally fine; it’s just that I hope they figure out a system to regulate the increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic at the lookout.

On a recent drive up there, we counted 10 tour buses. They were pulled over to the side of the road, halfway sticking out and therefore, blocking oncoming traffic. At one point, two buses stopped side by side in the road, completely barricading cars coming from either direction. To make matters worse, tour drivers let their passengers out in the middle of the road. Did I mention this was at 9 p.m. with no street lights around whatsoever?

Dangerous would best sum up the situation. Those passengers could have easily been side-swiped by a car, or worse. Motorists in a growing line of cars from both directions seemed to also be getting frustrated, as boisterous honks quickly filled the peaceful night. Meanwhile, passengers continued to pour out onto the road.

Like I said, I have no problem with more people going up there. I just want there to be more oversight by the companies causing the traffic. Maybe there could be a few workers directing traffic and passengers. Some of our neighbors have made similar suggestions to those companies, but I haven’t seen any changes yet.

If you plan to take a drive up there at night, then go before the rush, which I noticed to be about 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on almost any given night. Weekdays are less congested, by far. But please do make sure to check it out. It’s a view worth taking in — despite the added frustration.